A ‘DANGEROUS’ sex offender broke into a woman’s home in the middle of the night and waited in the bathroom while she showered.

Stephen Thomas broke into the Boscombe home of a single woman last August.

When the woman stepped out of the shower, Thomas, 34, grabbed her and dragged her to the ground. The victim was able to fight him off and run to the window, where she screamed for help.

Thomas, of no fixed address, left the flat but was spotted by a neighbour rushing to help the victim. His DNA was found on an item in the property and on his victim’s neck and shoulder.

On Friday, Thomas was handed an extended prison sentence after a jury unanimously convicted him of two counts of burglary, one of fraud and one of trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence. All of the offences were committed between August 14 and August 21 last year in Bournemouth.

The defendant, who is of no fixed abode, failed to attend his trial at Bournemouth Crown Court.

Recorder Don Tait said: “The victim is a woman who was living alone in a ground floor flat. How [Thomas] got in is unclear. He may have got in through a window.

“There is some suggestion he could have been in a position to watch her through a gap in the curtains.”

The victim was naked when she was attacked, the court heard.

“She had the courage and clearness of mind to realise the situation she was in. She immediately started screaming and fought the defendant” Judge Tait said.

“She screamed for her life. That was heard by the next door neighbour who went to investigate. The defendant made off. It was unclear how he got away – it may well have been through the front door.

“The neighbour who heard screaming came across the defendant, who made certain excuses for why he was there at all. Then he disappeared.”

Shortly before the attack, the victim had been approached in the street by a man who “propositioned her for sex”, the judge said. There is not enough evidence to say the two incidents are linked, although Judge Tait said: “It is somewhat of a coincidence.”

Probation officers have tried to assess Thomas, the court heard. The author of a pre-sentence report found the “brazen nature of his dishonesty” was “notable” and there is no indication he is suffering from mental health issues.

A victim impact statement said the woman “panics” at even “small noises” and has been left “terrified” of men.

Judge Tait said: “This defendant poses a significant risk of serious harm to members of the public.”

Thomas was sentenced to seven years in prison.